Folks thanks for your thoughts. I enjoyed reading your comments. I guess my question is ultimately about 1) managing expectations and 2) keeping the fire alive. If you give it too much all at once, it might burn up fast. LIke if you do too much early on, it may be harder to meet expectations later. In my experience it's always better to keep expectations a little below realistic so that you meet or exceed them. Keeping the fire alive is kinda related to the first point. But it's also about not being taken for granted. I mean, if you always give your everythign, ppl might take yu for granted. I guess at teh end of the day we are all selfish in a way. It is the feeling of being desired by some one and this feeling of wanting to give to someone that makes us feel good. Ya we want the other to feel happy, but we do it because it makes US happy. So, i guess i am just trying to think with my head instead for a while here. Sosaysi, thanks for the tip about keeping the communication channel alive. i also believe that that is key. kathmanduvalleybuy, I got what you said except the part about being treated like a man. How does a man behave? bideshi and cleopatra, ya I agree wid u folks that everyone likes affection. But what I am talking about is how much of it to show. Cleopatra u said that a woman once in love is always in affection boom. Are you sure?